


Foul Play

by CelticKnot



Series: Mass Effect Fictober 2019 [12]
Category: Mass Effect - All Media Types
Genre: F/F, Fictober 2019, Fluff and Humor, MEFFictober2019
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-13
Updated: 2019-10-13
Packaged: 2020-12-14 01:27:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 800
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21007421
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CelticKnot/pseuds/CelticKnot
Summary: MEFFictober prompt: "Scared? Me?" At the party in the Citadel apartment, Shepard and Traynor have a rematch of their chess game. This time, the stakes are a little higher.





	Foul Play

"What’s the matter, Traynor? You scared?"

"Scared? Me?" Traynor laughed aloud. "Scared I'll embarrass you, maybe."

As a chorus of "Ooohh"s erupted around them, Shepard folded her arms and glared playfully. "Oh, that's how it's gonna be, huh? How about we even the odds a bit?" She waved Vega over. "Hey, James, bring my girl here another beer."

Traynor's eyes widened. "I've already had two, Shepard. You know I'm a lightweight!"

"Oh, I know, all right," said Shepard with a grin. "You're gonna play me drunk." Vega cracked open a bottle and set it in front of Traynor. Shepard pointed at it. "Chug.”

“You’re on, my love.” Traynor raised the bottle. “Cheers.”

When she set it down again, it was empty, and she looked decidedly wobbly. “Ready when you are,” she slurred.

Shepard picked up a pawn, twirled it in her fingers for a moment, and set it down one square ahead. She hit the timer and sat back.

Without hesitation, Traynor pushed a pawn forward two squares and passed the timer back to Shepard.

The first few turns passed in relative silence, and Shepard was already beginning to sweat. The alcohol didn’t seem to be affecting Traynor’s game at all. If anything she seemed to be playing better. Less inhibited, her one weakness--a tendency to overthink each move--vanished almost entirely, and Shepard found she had to work twice as hard to keep up.

This may not have been such a good idea after all. But she couldn’t back down now.

“Hey, anyone wanna place a bet?” Vega asked. “Twenty credits says Traynor wins.”

Shepard glared at him. “Gee, thanks for the vote of confidence, James,” she drawled.

Vega shrugged. “No offense, Lola. On the real battlefield, everyone knows you’re tops. But you haven’t beat Traynor at chess yet.”

“Oh, really?” Shepard slid a bishop across the board and said triumphantly, “Check.” She hit the timer and raised an eyebrow at James. “And what makes you think that?”

“Come on, Shepard, we all know your competitive streak is as wide as the Citadel and twice as long,” said Garrus. “If you’d ever beaten her, the whole ship would know by now. Sorry, but I think I have to go with Vega on this one.”

“Touché,” Shepard admitted as her bishop fell to Traynor’s knight. She pushed a rook forward to threaten the black queen.

“I have to agree,” said Liara.

“I’ll take that bet,” Cortez announced. “Shepard always comes through when it counts.”

_ “Thank  _ you, Steve.”

“I’m with you, too, Shepard,” said Tali.

Samara nodded. “I, too, believe the commander will prevail.”

“Eh, I gotta give it to Traynor,” Zaeed decided. “Fightin’ geth an’ Reapers ain’t got shit to do with a board game.”

Wrex shook his head. “Shepard can win anything she sets her mind to.”

“If she’s half as good at chess as she is at poker, my money’s on the commander, too,” said Ashley.

Traynor slid her queen forward to threaten both of Shepard’s best defenders at once. She hit the timer and grinned up at Ashley. “I don’t know about that. Half might be generous.”

“Very funny.” Shepard backed her remaining bishop out of the line of fire, leaving her knight to fall to the queen. “Keep talking like that, and you’ll find yourself sleeping alone tonight.”

Taking advantage of an opening Shepard didn’t see until it was too late, Traynor swooped in with her own bishop to capture Shepard’s queen. “Don’t make threats if you’re not prepared to follow through, my sweet.”

Shepard laughed. “Point taken.” She slid her king over to capture the bishop, putting Traynor’s queen in line with her rook. “Care to make a little wager of our own?”

Traynor backed her queen off a few squares. “What did you have in mind?” she asked cautiously.

“Oh, I don’t know.” Pressing her advantage, Shepard moved her knight toward the defensive cluster Traynor had assembled around her king. “Check. We could always work something out after.” She lowered her voice and leaned forward conspiratorially. “Maybe something to do with that hot tub upstairs?”

Pulling a pawn out of formation, Traynor captured Shepard’s knight. “Hmm. Winner chooses the… activities?”

“Deal.” Without breaking eye contact, Shepard slid her bishop into position. “Checkmate,  _ my sweet.” _

_ “What?”  _ Traynor stared down at the board. “You can’t have… how did you…” A look of horror and betrayal spread across her face. “You cheated!”

“That is incorrect, Samantha,” said EDI. “All of Commander Shepard’s moves were fair.”

“Hmm.” Traynor laid her king down, then sat back and folded her arms. “Then I guess you’d better show me what other winning moves you have up your sleeve.”

Shepard grinned. “I can’t promise you they’ll all be fair.”

Traynor winked back at her. “I’d be disappointed if they were.”


End file.
